Drawbar draft gear



May 26, 1925.

G. s.- DE BURGER ET AL DRAWBAR DRAFT GEAR Filed March 1924 Fly. I I

IHVEHTORS,

1 W v m mma A 55 n 2% 0 Z Referring to Fig. 1, the draw bar Patented May 26, 19 25.

GEORGE s.. DE BURGER nn JGI-IN n. BAYLE S; or INnIANAroLIs,1NnInnA.

DRAWBAR DRAFT GEARI1 ppli etipn fii aia 8, nae-"S a 7L 4 To a lwhom it m y ca era) Be it known that e, G ORGE SgDri BUB.- eEn and JOHN E. BAY ,nss,.citizenso i the United States, residing at Indianapolisyin the county of Marion and the State of Indiana, have; invented a new and usetu'lllraw-. Be D aft G r, of which th QH Wing 1 Our invention relatesto an imprpvenient ohjectsof our invention to obtain means whereby the gear may readily he -assembled -.or disassembled Without shop equipment in case of draw bar breakage at pointsreinote from shop assistance, an increased cushion in starting and stopping as Icompared to the customary gear, andpositive driving -eontac follow ng a predeterm n d tak -1 P he raft spring- I a M l We attain these and .other objects as nay become apparent in the following description by the means as shown in the aceonr panying dltawinggin W111ich Fig. 1 is a side v levation of an of a freight car showing our draft gear in djotted lines assembled within the end of the customary center sill of the car; Fig.2, a side elevation of the draftgearwith one of the sidechannehmemhers of the car sill removed; Fig. 3, a top plan View of the draft gear Fig.4, a vertical section taken .on the line 4l of Fig. 2. v

Like characters oi? referenoe'indicate like parts throughout h S ve al views.

The usual and customary construction of freight cars embodies a center sill o-built-up of two channel membersfi and 7 with the legs turned inwardly, and We have. adapted our draft gear such that it may, if desired, be incorporated Wi hin the 511115 us ng'th membersfiand 7 as sides of this gear. However, in cars not employing center sill, We usetwo ,sidemembers, similar to the channel meinbers 6 and 7 of thepropcr length, and secure these side members to the under timbers or sillsof the carin the place of the, customary draft gear.

integral casting with the :usual square shank Qwand coupling head 10 supported in the usual hangerl1. ,Betvveen the side members 6 and, 7 and securely riveted to them by the ang1e l2 and 1.3 is the ront a ion ry ,blockzl centrally through which passes the r w a 8- A Pai of ess and 6 i tormed on the bar 8 back otthe block it and a short distance hack-of lugs 15 and 1.6

is orm d sec nd pai f g nd .8, b t p ns yi g-2n e sa e "h zonta P driving should r 19, ecu ly ri e to h s d memb r P17 l 9ts between the lugs 15,,illld 17 ,and a siinilar shoulder e re y r ve e th b h sid embe 7, p ojec e n h lug 6 nd 18- l dne -y mount d on h ba 8 a etw fello blocks "21 and 22 having their ends fitted in slide thereon. o 1 The follow blocks 21and 22 are.spaced? and held apart by the co npression spring 23. Normally,- the spring23 acts only ass the channel members 6 and .7 and to spac r and holds' e bl ks 22 in loose Con ac gai s -the storms, 2 2 1 26,27. t p r d key 2 i put throug th 7 ba 8 immedia lyask of h fellow b c 22 such that the bar 8 is so retained that the ug 1 a d 1 c tact th blo k 2 fr the front side and the key 28 contacts the back side of block V l A third follow block 29 contacts the end of he ar and is there lo s yh d by t icompressi n spring 30 hi h is he in ipositio'n by the post 1 carried by the back st io ary. block 2 agains wh ch t p ng 3O bears. The block 32 is securely riveted to the side memb rs fi nd"? by ngl s 13 and 34. The bar 8 passesthronghthe block 14, '21 and 22*Wiill1 considerable play suoh that the bar'8 have ample, freedom to 9 providefor displace nent'ofthe bar :8 as the 'car passes around ,ourves,over grades, and inequalities 1n the track.

Should the head 10 become inoperativeor the bar 8 pull in two, and a new bar be require-d, the bar 8 is revolved in the blocks until the key 28 is turned such that it may and 17, 18 may pass throi gh the slots'35 and 1 3,6 provided in the block 14, as the bar-'8 is 7 8 is an pulled out. By so turning thefbar, the lugs 17 and 18 also are turned to clear and. pass shoulders 19 and 20, As the bar 8 is further Withdmvvmthe spring 23 dropsout, and if desired, either or hoth ot the foll ow bl k 21 and :2 may b urne nw r ei h de member 6 o a d-taken 011M Also, if desired, as the bar 8 is out of the way, the compression spring 30 may be taken out by sliding or turning the follow block 29 ahead out of the way, after which the block 29 maybe so turned asto be withdrawn from between the side members 6 and 7.

. To describe the manner of operation, suppose the train of cars to be starting ahead such that the pull on the bar 8 is forward. As the pull starts on the bar 8, the entire load at the beginning of the pull is on the key 28 bearing against the block 22 which pull exerts a compressive action on the spring 23, such compressive actionbeing en- 5 tirely borne by the block 21 and in turn against the stops 2 1 and 25, through which i the pull is transmitted to the side members 6 and 7 of the sill 5. As the pull on the bar 8 is increased, the spring 23 is further compressed such that the lugs and 16 contact the front stationary block 14 and simultaneously the lugs 17 and 18 contact the shoulders 19 and 20, in which position the load or pull on the bar 8 is not only transmitted through the spring 23 to the side members 6 and 7 but also positively through the block 1 1 and shoulders 19 and 20 to the side members 6 and 7. Normally, however, as the train gets under way, the tension of the spring 23 is sufficient to take the steady pull forward and the lugs do not contact 2 the front block of the shoulders.

In backing the car, or should the coupling head receive an impact such as in coupling two cars together, the bar 8 is pushed backward, which action causes the lugs 17 and 18 to press the block 21 against the spring 23 to compress it against the block 22 held from further backward motion by the stops 26 and 27 so that in this manner part of the load is transmitted to the side members 6 and 7 of the sill 5. At the same time the foregoing action occurs, the end of the bar 8 presses the block 29 back to compress the spring 30 against the stationary block 32 such that the remainder of the backward load is transmitted accordingly to the members 6 and '1'. Should this backward push be sufficiently great, as in unduly violent impacts, or in startingthe car, the lugs 15 and 16 will contact with the shoulders 19 and 20, and also the end of the draw bar 8 will contact the post 31, but only after the travel of the bar 8 has been greatly arrested through the predetermined compression of the springs 23 and 30. While We have here shown single springs, either or both springs 23 and 30 may be multiple springs as may be required by varying specifications for predetermined travel under prescribed loads or impacts, and while we have here shown one construction of our invention in the form now best known to us as applied to a freight car, we desire to set out that the same construction or variamembers, an integral draw bar between the supporting members, shoulders on the supporting members, driving lugs extending from the draw bar and adapted to contact said shoulders by appreciable travel of said draw bar, a guiding member rigidly carried by said supporting members slidingly carrying said draw bar and preventing the forward withdrawal of the draw bar by reason of the lugs projecting therefrom, said guiding member having slots therein to permit passage of the lugs therethrough upon axial rotation of the draw bar, and means of pre venting rotation of the draw bar.

2. In a draw bar draft gear, supporting members, a guiding member, an integral draw bar carried by the supporting members and slidingly passing through said guiding member, shoulders on said supporting members, driving lugs on said draw bar adapted to contact said shoulders and said guiding member upon appreciable travel of the draw bar, said guiding member having slots therethrough located so as to permit passage of the lugs on the draw bar after rotating the draw bar from its normal position, follow members slidingly carried on the draw bar, a spring normally holding said follow blocks apart, follow block stops on the supporting members, and a tapered key vertically passing through the draw bar from above, the travel of said follow blocks on the draw bar being limited by said lugs and said key.

3. In a draw bar draft gear, supporting members, a guiding member, an integral draw bar carried by the supporting members and slidingly passing through said guiding member, shoulders on said support ing members, driving lugs on said draw bar adapted to contact said shoulders and said guiding member upon appreciable travel of the draw bar, said guiding member having slots therethrough located so as to. permit passage ofthe lugs on the draw bar after rotating the draw bar from its normal position, follow members slidingly carried on the draw bar, a spring normally holding said follow blocks apart, follow block stops on the supporting members, and a tapered key vertically passing through the draw bar from above, the travel of said follow blocks on the draw bar being limited by said lugs and said key, a rear bumper block, a rear follow block contacting thez'end of said draw bar, and a bumper spring northe draw bar, said guiding member having slots therethrough located so as to permit passage of the lugs on the draw bar' after rotatlng the draw bar from its normal position, follow members slidingly carried on the draw bar, a spring normally holding said follow blocks apart, follow block stops on the supporting members, and a tapered lrey vertically passing through the draw bar from above, the travelof said follow blocks on the draw bar being limited by said lugs and said key, a rear bumper block, a rear follow block contacting the end of said draw bar, and a bumper spring normally spacing said rear follow block apart from the bumper block, and means for rigidly stopping the backward travel of the draw bar. v

I 5. In a draw bardra l t gear, supporting members, shoulders extending from the sup porting members, an integral draw bar between the supporting members, a front sta- V tion ary member having avhole therethrough to slidingly receive the draw bar and having lug slots extending upwardly and downwardly" from the hole in a vertical plane, lugs extending horizontally from each side of the draw bar and adaptedto contact said shoulders and said front stationary block upon appreciable travel of said draw bar, a key passing through the draw bar, follow blocks slidingly carried on the draw bar, a 1 a spring normally spacing the follow blocks apart against the lugs and the key, and stops on the supporting members a limiting the travelof the follow blocks. 7

Signed this 5th day ofMarch, 1924;, at

Indianapolis, in the county of Marion, and

State of Indiana.

GEORGE S. DE BURGER. JOHN E. BAYLESS. 

